Chapter 245 - 108: A Loving Hug
Qin Xiyue’s promotion to Wanyi livened up the palace for several days. Consort Shu even held a small banquet to celebrate.
Song Yunzhao was invited, but she declined, citing poor health.
Han Jinyi, however, did attend. She had no grievances with Qin Xiyue, and given her lower rank, it would have been unwise not to go. What surprised Song Yunzhao was that Lu Zhixue had been bold enough to refuse, using the exact same excuse: poor health.
At that moment, Song Yunzhao found Lu Zhixue rather interesting. ’So it seems her contrarian nature isn’t just aimed at me.’
From that day forward, Song Yunzhao the troublemaker had a companion in Lu Zhixue.
To top it off, their palaces were situated one behind the other. Now, everyone in the palace wished they could give their entire section a wide berth. They were practically the two scourges of the harem.
Song Yunzhao was speechless when she heard this. ’Am I not just being dragged down by Lu Zhixue?’
Meanwhile, Lu Zhixue thought she was the one being implicated by Song Yunzhao. In any case, she was used to it. Whenever she ran into Song Yunzhao, bad luck was bound to follow.
A few days before the end of the Autumn Examination, the Emperor finally graced the harem with his presence. Song Yunzhao was startled when she saw him. In just a few short days, the Emperor had lost weight. It was obvious his face had thinned.
Those in the know understood he was attending court daily, but anyone else would have thought he’d been sent to do hard labor.
Song Yunzhao quickly ushered the Emperor inside. "Your Majesty, matters of the court are certainly important, but your health is even more so. In my opinion, Meng Jiuchang and Zhang Maoquan should both be caned!"
’The Emperor is my golden goose; absolutely nothing can happen to him.’ As she spoke of the caning, there was a genuine hint of anger in her voice.
Feng Yi looked at Song Yunzhao, surprised that she was so worried and upset. He pulled her down to sit beside him and said with a smile, "For the past few days, we’ve been discussing the matter you raised. By pooling our collective wisdom, the courtiers have proposed many beneficial new policies. That’s concluded for now, so I can finally get some rest. Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Song Yunzhao mentally lit a candle for the Emperor. ’A good rest is out of the question. The great case of the leaked exam questions is waving right at you.’
The thought made Song Yunzhao feel quite guilty. After all, she was the one planning to use this incident to stir up a huge storm.
To assuage her guilt, Song Yunzhao began acting the part of a virtuous concubine, preparing all sorts of nourishing soups and broths for the Emperor. After her last showdown with the Imperial Kitchen—and whatever it was Consort Lu had done on her end—the kitchen staff had become exceptionally careful with anything concerning Wangyou Palace.
The quality of her meals had skyrocketed. ’I think my slender waist is even starting to get a little thicker,’ Song Yunzhao mused.
The Emperor was quite pleased with Song Yunzhao’s attentiveness. After drinking her restorative soups for three days straight, he truly did feel much better.
Song Yunzhao had the kitchen draw up a meal plan, which she then personally edited. She changed the menu every ten days, constantly finding new ways to nourish the Emperor.
When Feng Yi learned that Song Yunzhao had specially created a meal plan for him, he had Meng Jiuchang personally go to Wangyou Palace to fetch it for his inspection. The feeling was novel.
No one had ever created a special meal plan for him before. When he was a Prince, he ate whatever the Imperial Kitchen served. After becoming Emperor, he ate what an Emperor was served. He had never considered changing his diet.
Because no one else had ever placed importance on it, he had subconsciously overlooked it himself.
But now, someone valued his diet, valued his health, and was willing to go to the trouble of painstakingly revising a meal plan for him.
Feng Yi put away the meal plan Song Yunzhao had written by hand, personally transcribed a copy, and sent that to the Imperial Kitchen.
When Song Yunzhao found out, she was baffled for a moment. ’What’s the difference?’
’Does the Emperor think my handwriting is ugly?’
’My calligraphy might not be master-level, but I’ve certainly practiced. Hmph. If he wants to be picky, let him. I don’t care.’
That night, Song Yunzhao experienced the Emperor’s long-absent passion. She thought to herself, ’My meal plan really worked. The effort wasn’t wasted!’
The next day, feeling quite guilty, Song Yunzhao saw off the deeply affectionate Emperor. Today was the day the Autumn Examination ended!
The morning passed peacefully. In the afternoon, Anshun came to report that the First Madam was requesting an audience.
Song Yunzhao naturally granted her request, and so, the First Madam entered the palace that same afternoon.
Seeing the grim expression on the First Madam’s face, Song Yunzhao dismissed the attendants in the hall. She looked at her and asked, "Aunt, is there something you need to tell me?"
The First Madam looked at Song Yunzhao with a complicated expression. After composing herself, she said, "Concubine, did you receive news in advance? Did you know about the matter concerning this Autumn Examination?"
Of course, Song Yunzhao couldn’t admit it. She put on a serious face to feign ignorance, her expression turning to one of surprise. "Did something really happen?"